|
|
 |
News |
Load
restrictions going into effect on area highways: In
recent days, Idaho has experienced above average temperatures and
precipitation which can lead to significant damage to highways,
prompting state and local transportation agencies to enforce load
restrictions. In an effort to reduce damage to roadways, the Idaho
Transportation Department has made the decision to restrict
several routes in North Idaho. |
Kootenai
Valley Resource Initiative meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, February 13 |
Senators seek to ease
National Firearms Act burden: U.S. Senators Jim Risch
(R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) on
Tuesday introduced the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today
(SHORT) Act, which will remove the taxation, registration and
regulation requirements in the National Firearms Act. |
Nominations
sought for Idaho Teacher of the Year: The State
Department of Education is now accepting applications for Idaho’s
most prestigious award in teaching, Teacher of the Year.
Applications to nominate a teacher are now open. Nominations are
due by March 20. The contest is open to public school teachers
teaching any subject at any grade level in any part of the state
of Idaho. |
BNSF
grant helps upgrade sheriff's radios: Like most
things, communication is important, but in law enforcement it is
critical. The Sheriff’s Office started installing trunk repeaters
in their patrol vehicles to boost the radio signal from deputies'
handheld radios by going through a repeater system in the vehicle,
extending the range of what they can receive and transmit. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
Coyotes acting strange
in Bonner County: Idaho Fish and Game has received
multiple reports of highly unusual coyote behavior in and around
the city of Sandpoint. In early January, reports were received of
coyotes on Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort that were chasing skiers
as they navigated down the slopes. Fish and Game staff worked
closely with resort staff to develop a plan to dispatch the
coyotes in the interest of public safety. |
Snow expected overnight:
The National Weather Service, Spokane, has issued a winter weather
advisory for snow over North Idaho, in effect from midnight
tonight to noon Friday. Up to three inches of snow is expected,
and motorists should be prepared for winter driving conditions and
slush Friday morning. |
Jocy
Litterell to pursue lifelong dream in Paris and Africa:
Jocelene was born 21 years ago in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her
mother hemorrhaged and passed away eight hours later. Jocy came to
be adopted by Josh and Jessie Litterell, and grew up in Moyie
Springs. But her home country was never far from her heart. |
Jews
not the only faithful persecuted during the holocaust:
On January 27, the world will mark International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, a symbolic date to commemorate the victims of
Nazism. Murderous Nazi terror targeted millions for reasons of
biology, nationality or political ideology. But few people know
that the Nazis’ victims included thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
who suffered for their Christian faith. |
Winter storm advisory
issued for Kootenai Cabinet: The National Weather
Service, Missoula, has issued a winter storm watch for the
Kootenai Cabinet Region of northwest Montana, in effect from 1
p.m. Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday. Flash freezing, heavy snow and
windy conditions are expected. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
Local
man seriously injured in logging accident: Ed Fallon,
Bonners Ferry, was helping a friend fell trees last week when one
fell on him, inflicting severe injuries. He was flown to Kootenai
Medical, Coeur d'Alene, where he underwent surgery for a broken
spine, broken leg and several broken ribs. He is now paralyzed
from the waist down. |
Flags
to half staff for Monterey Park shooting victims: As
a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of
violence perpetrated on January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park,
California, President Joe Biden has ordered that the flag of the
United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and
upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the United States
and its Territories and possessions until sunset, January 26. |
Kaylee
McCabe in running to be a U.S. Presidential Scholar:
The U.S. Department of Education has announced the candidates for
the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, and an amazing group
of high school seniors from Idaho are now in the running to
receive this prestigious recognition, including Kaylee McCabe, who
graduated from North Idaho College in December with her
associate's degree and will graduate Bonners Ferry High School a
semester early with a 4.5 grade point average. |
IDL gains 3,216 acres of
timberland in Boundary County: Idaho Department of
Lands announced it purchased almost 18,050 acres of timberland
spread across five north Idaho counties. Beyond generating ongoing
revenue for endowment beneficiaries, this acquisition keeps
working forests working, supports the forest products sector of
Idaho’s economy and preserves recreation for the public. This
purchase was authorized by the State Board of Land Commissioners
in November of 2022. |
Opioid settlement
funds starting to come in: According to the Idaho
Department of Health and Welfare’s Drug Overdose Prevention
Program, in 2021, Idaho experienced 241 deaths related to opioid
overdose. Of those deaths, 152 were related to fentanyl overdose.
The state also experienced over 5,000 drug overdose visits to
emergency departments and over 1,000 of those visits involved
opioids. In the Idaho panhandle, 97 overdoses occurred in 2020,
increased to 122 in 2021, and rose again to 161 in 2022. |
City looks to
local option tax to address shortfall: After
discussing a range of options to offset a 2017 Idaho Supreme Court
decision that declared a funding source the City of Bonners Ferry
has relied on since the 1950s unlawful, the city council on
Tuesday evening opted to proceed with putting a local option tax
before city voters in May. Bonners Ferry, like several other Idaho
cities offering utilities for its residents, billed to realize a
small profit so as to help pay for other city services. |
Brailsford
nominated to Idaho U.S. District Court: U.S. Senators
Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) today announced that Idaho
Court of Appeals Judge Amanda K. Brailsford has been nominated to
fill the open U.S. District Court judgeship in Idaho. The
nomination was secured after negotiations with the White House and
upon the advice given by the senators from Idaho. |
Man
charged with petit theft enters plea agreement: Sam
Charles Testa Jr., Bonners Ferry, charged with four counts of
petit theft November 21 for four alleged shoplifting incidents at
Super 1 Foods in Bonners Ferry between October 24 and November 1,
entered into a plea agreement and was sentenced to community
service and ordered to pay restitution. |
Boundary
County Commission minutes, week of January 2 |
First day to file taxes
is Monday: The Idaho State Tax Commission starts
processing 2022 Idaho individual income tax returns on Monday,
January 23. The Internal Revenue Service begins processing federal
returns the same day. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
What’s
in a name? May 3, 1963. 700 Black children marched
peacefully in Birmingham, Alabama to protest racial segregation
and were met with police brutality that shocked the country and
the world. Public outrage was a catalyst that spurred major steps
for civil rights. June 11, 1963. President John F. Kennedy
proposed a Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised address at
the urging of the civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Five months later, President Kennedy was assassinated while the
bill was stalled in Congress. |
Slots
open for National Youth Science Camp: Applications
are now being accepted from high school juniors and seniors in the
classes of 2023 and 2024 to represent Idaho at the 2023 National
Youth Science Camp. Two students from each state, Washington D.C.
and select countries will attend the all-expenses-paid program,
held from June 19 – July 12. Hosted since 1963 in the Monongahela
National Forest in West Virginia, the NYS Camp is a residential
science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics program. |
Events & Entertainment |
Birds
of Play to play the Pearl Theater: The Pearl Theater
is thrilled to host Colorado-based Birds of Play for the first
time at 7 p.m. Sunday, February 19. With a dynamic mix of
sentimentality and playfulness, Birds of Play's original music
will take you on a joyous journey filled with tales of love lost
and found, ballads of wild places, and the radical idea that being
happy for no reason at all is reason enough. |
Graham
Nash to perform at the Panida: Legendary
singer/songwriter Graham Nash will perform 60 years of songs and
stories at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint at 8 p.m. Friday, July
7. A founding member of both the Hollies and Crosby, Stills and
Nash, he is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has
seen rock history unfold at some of its seminal moments – from the
launch of the British Invasion to the birth of the Laurel Canyon
movement a year later. |
NIC holding
auditions for 'I Hate Hamlet:' The North Idaho
College Theatre department is holding auditions for its production
of “I Hate Hamlet” from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 24 and
Wednesday, January 25, at the Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts
Center on NIC’s main campus in Coeur d’Alene. Auditions are open
to students, staff, faculty and the community. |
Casting
call for 'The Play that Goes Wrong:' Bonners Ferry's
Curtain Call Drama Club will perform "The Play that Goes Wrong" in
March, and they are looking for boys ages 14 to 20 interested in
joining the cast. Sponsored by the Bonners Ferry Shriners Club,
Second Chance Animal Adoption and Dawn and David Carpenter, all
proceeds benefit the Shriners Children's Hospital. |
Business |
County P&Z to hear two
conditional use applications: The Boundary County
Planning and Zoning Commission will hear and accept comment on
conditional use permit applications seeking to establish a
business retreat on McArthur Lake Road and a wood products
manufacturing plant off Enterprise Way when they meet at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 26, at the Boundary County Annex, 6566 Main
Street, Bonners Ferry. |
Koon,
Hazdovac swap seats on BCH Board: Eldon Koon has
stepped down as chairman of the Boundary Community Hospital Board
of Trustees and has been appointed vice chair, and vice chair Paul
Hazdovac has stepped up to become the new board chairman. |
Idaho
Apprenticeship Week just ahead: November 14-20 is
National Apprenticeship Week and marks the celebration of a proven
and time-honored career pathway. Right now, 236 Idaho businesses
sponsor apprenticeships, with more than 1,800 participating
Idahoans getting paid on the job. Like many Americans, Idahoans
have seen sharp increases in housing costs while the consumer
price index has risen 8.2-percent in just one year. Facing these
circumstances, Idaho’s workforce needs competitive job
opportunities now more than ever, and the state’s employers need
the labor. |
The
Catnip Getaway caters to kitty comfort: After 12
years as a licensed veterinary tech at Bonners Ferry Veterinary
Clinic, Julie Rosengrant, a life-long cat lover, made a dream come
true this summer, and she's now splitting her time between the
clinic, where she works three mornings a week, and the new
business she opened this summer, The Catnip Getaway, a boarding
facility dedicated to the comfort and pampering of her feline
guests. |
 |
Social |
12 local students
on U of I Dean's List: A total of 2,787 students
qualified for the Dean’s List for the University of Idaho's Fall
2022 semester, including 12 from Boundary County. The semester
ended December 16. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must
maintain at least a 3.5 GPA on a minimum of 12 graded credits
during the semester. |
Celebrating a Bonners Ferry gem
... |
 |
GROW! community gardeners feted Marciavee Cossette
at the annual GROW membership meeting and potluck
Thursday. As a long-time GROW! board member and all-around
volunteer at the community garden as well as so many other
organizations in town, Marciavee was presented with a
dozen red roses! She thanked GROW! and praised the town of
Bonners Ferry for being such a friendly, welcoming town in
which to volunteer. |
|
Weerts
earns scholastic honors at WSU: Allie Nicole Weerts,
a 2020 graduate of Bonners Ferry High School, was named to the
fall 2022 President's List at Washington State University for
maintaining a grade point average of 3.75 or above. |
NIC
literary magazine seeks submissions: The Trestle
Creek Review is looking for submissions for its upcoming issue.
Submissions are open to the public and may include essays, short
stories, poetry, black-and-white visual art and other literary
works. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, January 31. |
Two
county students earn University of Montana honors:
Edie Callison, Bonners Ferry, earned President's list honors at
the University of Montana with a 4.0 grade point average, and Mary
Pluid, Moyie Springs, earned Dean's list honors. |
Sports/Outdoors |
Two weeks of
Tuesday's Trouble: Elaine Wheeler took it all in week
16 of Tuesday’s Trouble ladies league bowling; high scratch game
201, high scratch series 463, high handicap game 264 and high
handicap series 652. Regina Colby got second high scratch game
170, second high scratch series 426, second high handicap game 237
and third high handicap series 633. |
KV Rifle &
Pistol Club indoor season underway: The Kootenai
Valley Rifle and Pistol Club and Junior Rifle Club’s indoor
competitive shooting seasons are underway! The clubs compete in
area matches and with more distant clubs through a tournament
where scores shot on our home range are compiled via email. The
Junior Rifle Club is active in promoting marksmanship, competitive
target shooting and safe gun handling. |
Smallmouth
bass state record falls once more: It was a typical
cold, December day in central Idaho with rain down low and snow in
the mountains. While many anglers might have been thinking about
ice-fishing, winter steelhead or even putting a fresh coat of wax
on their skis and hitting the slopes, Joey Walton had other plans:
big smallmouth bass. Knowing he had to make the long run across
the reservoir, he set out early in search of a trophy. |
Second
year for Kootenai River Angler Science Program: For
some, winter is a time to hibernate in the comfort of a warm home,
enjoying a hot drink by a crackling fire. For others, winter
offers a unique opportunity to try their hand at landing the
native and once rare burbot in the Kootenai River. Referred to by
some as the Kootenai leopard or ling cod, burbot in the Kootenai
River are once again being pursued by anglers. |
Why
you shouldn't feed backyard deer: The hardship of
winter motivates some well-meaning people to set out food for
deer. The truth is, they’re wild animals adapted to winter, and
feeding them can quickly create a variety of problems
significantly affecting their health and survival. Despite good
intentions, supplemental feeding of deer often harms them,
frequently resulting in their death. |
|
Letters |
I'm just down the
street: A dear friend sent me a beautiful photo and a
few lines of explanation regarding an amazing and inspirational
Boundary County neighbor and volunteer, Marciavee Cossette,
honored at the recent annual meeting of our local GROW! Boundary
County Community Garden organization. And she thanked me for
publishing. That she felt the need broke my heart. By Mike
Weland |
The truth about the
M&O: What is the truth about the proposed M&O Levy
and our property taxes? After seeing social media light up and
hearing some dire predictions, I decided to dig for the truth.
Here’s what I found out. By Mary Ollie |
Why do
commissioners support 2030 Agenda? Let's talk about
the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which Boundary County Commissioners
Tim Bertling and Wally Cossairt support, one item at a time and
see if they are achievable. One goal is to end poverty. What a
lofty goal and who could be opposed to that? The question is: How
could it be accomplished by government at any level? By Bob
Vickaryous |
Herndon
rockets off to the start many feared: While most
people would give at least a little time for familiarization when
starting a new job, Idaho Senator Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, is
having no part of it, shooting off like a pop bottle rocket from
the moment the 2023 legislative session opened January 9 and
careening crazily ever since, with no sign yet of graciously
sputtering out. By Mike Weland |
Election over,
but no time for complacency: I'm hoping I'm wrong,
but some elected people only represent one side of the coin, and
possibly don't want to consider those who might have a different
side of the coin. I do not believe that any of us are bona fide
type cast. Depending on what the issue is, we fall all over the
political spectrum. By Dora Vandenberg |
 |
Obituaries |
Starla Ann Jasper died January 26, 2023, at the
Community Restorium in Bonners Ferry with her family by her side.
Starla was born on November 22, 1956, in Spokane, the daughter of
Leslie and Alice Clark Stiles. |
Channing
“Chan” Eugene Nagel passed away Saturday, January 14,
2023, at Boundary Community Hospital in Bonners Ferry. No services
are scheduled at this time. Chan was born April 11, 1943, in
Bonners Ferry to Shirleigh Ione (Peterson) Nagel and Eugene
Channing Nagel. Chan grew up in Boundary County, spending time
with his grandparents and countless hours fishing the Kootenai
River with his uncles, Pete and Jerry Peterson. |
Vondee
Drumm, 82, a resident of Bonners Ferry, sadly passed
away on December 23, 2022. She was born in Sacramento, California,
on November 13, 1940. Vondee’s funeral will be held at 2 p.m.
Friday, March 3, at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in
Dixon, California, with a celebration of her life to follow. |
Blanche
Antoinette (Larson) Studer passed away January 15,
2023, in Bonners Ferry. A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m.
Saturday, January 28, at the United Methodist Church, 6568 Lincoln
Street, Bonners Ferry, with a reception following. |
Daniel
Joseph Meddock, 78, kind and loving husband, family
man and loyal friend passed away peacefully September 12, 2022, in
Salem, Oregon, from multiple myeloma cancer. A celebration of life
will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 23, in Bonners Ferry at the
Becker Auditorium. |
Loading
crossword puzzle. One moment please.
|